1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of swimming pool cleaning devices. More particularly the present invention relates to the field of swimming pool cleaning devices for cleaning submerged swimming pool surfaces.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many prior art patents have disclosed various kinds of swimming pool cleaning devices:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 3,226,259 issued to Armbrust on Dec. 28, 1965 for "Method For Cleaning A Submerged Surface" (hereafter the "Armbrust Patent"). PA0 2. U.S. Pat. No. 3,245,420 issued to Cherney on Apr. 12, 1966 for "Cleaning Apparatus For Liquid Containers" (hereafter the "Cherney Patent"). PA0 3. U.S. Pat. No. 3,707,737 issued to Brower on Jan. 2, 1973 for "Apparatus For Cleaning Submerged Surfaces" (hereafter the "Brower Patent"). PA0 4. U.S. Pat. No. 3,716,883 issued to Monroe on Feb. 20, 1973 for "Fluid Driven Cleaning Implement For Swimming Pools" (hereafter the "Monroe Patent"). PA0 5. U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,148 issued to Rosenberg on Jun. 21, 1977 for "Swimming Pool Surface Cleaning Device" (hereafter the "Rosenberg Patent"). PA0 6. U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,216 issued to Pansini on Jan. 27, 1981 for "Quick Connect Handle For Swimming Pool Cleaning Tools" (hereafter the "Pansini Patent"). PA0 7. U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,375 issued to Grodin et al. on Dec. 28, 1982 for "Vacuum Nozzle For Pool Cleaning" (hereafter the "Grodin Patent"). PA0 8. U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,954 issued to Greskovics et al. on Apr. 5, 1988 for "Pool Scrubber Device" (hereafter the "Greskovics Patent"). PA0 9. British Patent No. 580,795 issued to Ackers on Sept. 19, 1946 for "Improved Means For cleaning The Glass of Aquaria" (hereafter the "Ackers Patent"). PA0 10. British Patent No. 2,150,423 issued to Panton on Jul. 3, 1985 for "Underwater Brooms" (hereafter the "Panton Patent").
The Greskovics Patent discloses a water-driven scrubber device 10 used in scrubbing wall and floor surfaces of a swimming pool or the like. The Greskovics Patent device 10 driven by the water-powered motor. The device 10 further has a mounting yoke 60 for attaching a standard pool service utility pole to the device 10. It also has a hose fitting 30 for connecting a standard water hose to the device 10. In addition the device 10 has a conduit 34 and a narrow cross section jet port 36 within the housing of the device 10 for conducting pressurized water. However, in the Greskovics Patent the pressurized water is directed into the water-powered motor, therefore the surfaces of the swimming pool are cleaned by the rotating scrubbers.
The Grodin Patent discloses a vacuum nozzle 1 particularly adapted for use in conjunction with a conventional swimming pool brush 3 for removing leaves and debris from the floor of a pool having a flexible liner. The Grodin Patent nozzle 1 comprises a housing 11 which has a hose coupling 13 adapted to accept a hose 15 at one end, and an elongated nozzle mouth 17 positioned to be above a pool brush 3 at the other end. The nozzle 1 further has an extension 19 for attaching the nozzle 1 to the pool brush 3. However, the Grodin Patent is a sucking device which sucks water out of the pool instead of spouting water into the pool, therefore the nozzle mouth 17 of the Grodin Patent nozzle 1 is constructed with an elongated opening which is larger than a normal jet port for pressurizing water, so that leaves and debris from the floor of the swimming pool can be sucked into the housing 11 of the nozzle 1.
The Pansini Patent discloses a connect handle for swimming pool cleaning tools. Designed for a standard swimming pool cleaning pole 10 having a hollow end with two pairs of oppositely disposed holes 12 and 14 on its circumference, the Pansini Patent comprises a hollow handle connector 16 with three pairs of oppositely disposed holes 18, 20 and 22, and a wishbone-shaped spring member 24 having two spring arms 26 and 28 with a pair of locking bottoms 30 and a pair of thumb bottoms 32. The pair of locking bottoms 30 are located on the two spring arms respectively and adapted to be extended into the pair of holes 12 of the cleaning pole 10 and the pair of holes 20 of the handle connector 16. However, the Pansini Patent handle connector 16 itself is not a swimming pool cleaning tool but merely a connector for swimming pool cleaning tools.
The Rosenberg Patent discloses a swimming pool surface cleaning device 18 comprising a swingable arm 37 pivotally mounted to an edge 20 of the swimming pool 12. Pressurized in a spray over the surface of the water by a fitting 46 attached to the end of the swingable arm 37 to urge debris on the surface of the water toward the skimmer for more rapid cleaning of the water surface. However, the Rosenberg Patent device is designed for the purpose of cleaning the water surface of a swimming pool but not the sidewall or bottom surface of the swimming pool itself, and a float 58 is added to the fitting 46 to keep the end of the swingable arm 37 above the waterline exclusively for this purpose.
The Monroe Patent discloses a water-driven cleaning implement for swimming pools. It has an elongated hollow handle 12 having one end connected to a water supply and the other end to a T-shaped housing 13 of a pair of rotatable brushes 16. Inside the hollow handle 12 there is a water-powered motor means with vaned impellers 29. However, the Monroe Patent is similar to the Greskovics Patent where pressurized water is used primarily to drive cleaning attachments such as brushes or scrubbers, but not to directly clean the surfaces of the swimming pool.
The Brower Patent discloses an apparatus 11 for cleaning submerged surfaces. The cleaning apparatus 11 comprises a hollow handle 12, a jet pump means 17 and a resilient sponge pad 30. Inside handle 12, a flexible water relatively negative pressure within a tubular hollow chamber 120 inside the sponge pad 30 which is disposed against the submerged surface of a swimming pool. The relative negative pressure urges the compressible sponge pad 30 toward the submerged surface to conform to the contour of the surface which helps to clean the surface more effectively. However, the pressurized water sent into the jet pump means 17 of the Brower Patent does not directly spout onto the submerged surface but rather spouts out through an outlet tube 119 which is perpendicular to the submerged surface.
The Cherney Patent discloses a cleaning apparatus for liquid containers comprising a collector hood 20. The Cherney Patent collector hood 20 has means for receiving a handle 21 and a water inlet hose 35 connected to a siphon device, and a distributer pipe 36 with several nozzles 37 connected to the hose 35. Water flows into the collector hood 20 through siphon hose 35 and is ejected through nozzles 37 on distributer pipe 36. However, the Cherney Patent apparatus is designed to work in conjunction with a siphon device rather than pressurized water, and the collector hood 20 further has means for receiving a water outlet hose 19 which is used for sucking water out and back to the siphon device to collect the sediment from the underwater surfaces of the liquid container.
The Armbrust Patent discloses a method for cleaning a submerged surface which essentially involves using a device to seal a small area of a submerged surface and vacuuming the small area, then conducting a chemical solution to the small area for chemical treatment. However, the Armbrust Patent is a method of treating the submerged surfaces with chemical solution and therefore involves a complicated vacuuming device and process.
The Ackers Patent, one of the two British Patents, discloses an improved means for cleaning the glass of aquaria comprising a siphon tube having one end formed as a flattened funnel and attached with a scrapper. However, the Ackers Patent is a siphon device which only sucks water out of the water container but does not spout water into the water container.
The Panton Patent, the other one of the two British Patents, discloses an underwater broom having a flap hingeably attached to the broomhead for flapping through the water as the broomhead travels to create a thrust on the broomhead toward the underwater surface to be cleaned. However, the Panton Patent is merely a broom which is not designed to be used in conjunction with water hoses.
The most difficult and time consuming problem involved in swimming pool cleaning is the cleaning of algae and bacteria in the swimming pool. Algae and bacteria adhere to the submerged swimming pool surfaces, especially during the summertime when algae destroying chemicals break down due to the strong sunlight. Removing algae and bacteria is the most difficult and time consuming aspect of pool cleaning because scrubbers, brushes and brooms cannot reach algae and bacteria embedded in cracks, in corners, or around difficult-to-reach areas such as steps, skimmers, and tile. In addition, since pool plaster is very porous, scrubbers, brushes, and brooms can only remove algae and bacteria on the surface (outer layer) of the plaster, not the algae and bacteria embedded in the pores or rough areas of plaster.
Instead, in most cases direct pressurized water is able to wash off algae and bacteria from the submerged surfaces. Most people have conventional water hoses at their home. But conventional water hoses are usually very flexible. It is hard to direct an open end of a flexible hose to a certain desired place under the water surface by handling the hose along its length at a location remote from the open end. In addition, water flowing out from the submerged open end of a water hose is often not strong enough to form a concentrated water current. On the other hand, most people have conventional swimming pool cleaning poles for their swimming pool cleaning jobs. Conventional swimming pool cleaning poles are usually long rigid rods have two ends. Various swimming pool cleaning devices can be attached to one end of the poles. People then handle the other end of the poles to control the movements of the attached devices. However, no prior art patent discloses a simple and handy device which can be quickly attached with both the open end of a flexible conventional water hose and a conventional swimming pool cleaning pole, for applying pressurized water directly against a submerged swimming pool surface.